Keep looking at me
by Donotforgetmyname24601
Summary: Auruo x Petra oneshot- Stranded in the forest, with the rest of the Special operation squad dead, including Levi, Auruo and Petra have nothing to do but wait...you'll see why it's a oneshot. Based on the 57th expedition.


Uh, so I had the feels so hey, I wrote my first ever SnK fic. I thought of this song by Jonathan Eng after I wrote it and fancied listening to it, and suddenly realised that it fits quite well. I'm sorry if I get any terms wrong from the show. I'm a bit clumsy like that. It goes on a lot longer than I originally wanted it to but uh yeh enjoy.

_Oh the joy, I can see the light,_

_Oh the joy, I can see the light._

_Lo, a burning torch appears _

_In the distance, bright and clear _

_Oh the joy, I can see the light _

"Petra!"

He could see her from a mile away. Her orange hair striking against the green of the forest, like lantern in the darkness.

"Petra!"

_She's flying too fast. _he thought, increasing his own pace to catch up with her. _Half of her air must be gone already. S_he plummeted suddenly, her hands reaching out to near branches. He reached out his hand, grabbing her slender fingers just before she fell. Aiming towards the nearest tree, he pulled her onto it before landing himself.

"Petra what are you-"

"They're gone." She whispered, looking out into the opening of the forest. "They're all gone."

"Petra-"

"Eld, Gunther...Levi. They're all...gone."

Auruo stiffened. "Captain...Levi?"

"Gone." She repeated. Her body began to shake, the broken swords in her hands dropping to the ground below. Though she tried to swallow it, a whimper escaped from her throat and she turned to face him. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, her hair tangled and matted with blood and dirt, her face covered in cuts and scars. Her posture could only be described as defeated, her arms limp and her knees bent, her head facing upwards towards his.

"My God, Auruo, they're all..." She began to weep like a child, flinging her arms around him and pressing her face to his shoulder. He resolved to do nothing but hold her, though he himself had to fight his body not to shake.

_They're all gone. _He told himself. _Even Captain Levi. What are we going to do? _

"Listen, Petra," He said calmly, pulling her to face him "Do you have your flares?"

She shook her head hopelessly, "I lost it getting away from the female titan. I tried to fire it but it slipped from my hands." She began to cry again, leaning into him.

_This isn't like her,_ he thought, _This isn't Petra Ral. She's strong, level-headed. _

_But Levi is gone. _

_That's what's wrong with her. The man that she adored, looked up to, is gone._

_The man she loved._

But now was not the time to be jealous. Reaching for his flares, he noticed that they were empty and he cursed under his breath. The female titan had snapped his swords as if they were toothpicks, and his gear was completely empty. They had nothing. They could do nothing but wait. _Wait for what?_ Auruo didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it. He just held her whilst her body racked against him.

"Auruo," she whispered. "Your leg...it's..."

He looked down at his white jeans, which were now stained considerably with blood. The source seemed to be coming from the higher part of his leg. "Damn." he hissed, the pain of the wound finally being caught to his attention. He sat down, holding the wound between his two hands, trying to ease the blood loss. He had been so busy chasing Petra, he hadn't noticed when his broken sword had sliced into his leg.

Petra sniffed and sat down in front of him, wiping her cheeks and rubbing her swollen eyes. She unfastened her cape and tore a strip of fabric from it. Carefully lifting his leg, she wrapped it tightly around his thigh, pressing down on the wound gently and padding it with more fabric.

"Aren't you going to say it?" she said, still bandaging his leg and tearing pieces from her cloak.

"What?"

"You sure would make me a good wife Petra! You're acting like it already!"

He smiled at that. "Eh, I don't feel like saying it."

She finished dressing the wound and sat down next to him, leaning against the trunk of the tree and looking up at the sky.

"Petra," he turned to her "Do you have any water? I left mine back at HQ."

She passed him her water carrier without looking at him. He took it, but noticed that it was unusually light. _How can that be? We only started the mission an hour ago._

"Your water carrier's nearly empty?" He looked up as he heard her muffled sobs. Her hand covered her mouth and there were tears crawling down her cheeks and hanging from her eyelashes.

"I tried...I tried to wake him up. I thought that some water might...wake him up..." She buried her face into her hands, weeping bitterly. Auruo's face dropped as he realised what she'd been doing. Although Petra was one of the most elite members of the squad, she was as vulnerable as anyone else when it came to losing someone and trying to cope with it. Levi had survived for so long and killed so many titans, that she probably hadn't believed that he could be dead. Neither could he, to be honest.

He wiped the rim of the carrier with his sleeve (which had previously been stained with, what Auruo could only guess was, the Captain's blood.) and handed it to her. She drank the rest and leant her head against his shoulder, falling into sleep out of exhaustion. Months ago, Auruo would have been grinning from ear to ear at the fact that Petra was sleeping on his shoulder. Now though, the air was heavy with sweat and tension and the falling sun seemed to promise nothing but doom. Though the darkness would ensure that every titan would shortly be inactive, Auruo was not sure if they would wake up to see the next morning. Wrapping his arm around Petra's shoulders, Auruo leant his head against hers and fell asleep, the dull ache of his leg still throbbing.

They were both surprised to wake the next morning, though they could not find it within themselves to be happy about it. Petra's eyes ached from her excessive crying and Auruo winced as he tried to stretch his leg. They both realised the position that they had been sleeping in and Petra quickly moved away. Both of them groggy and yawning, they couldn't even think about what they were going to do next.

Petra turned to Auruo, her face slightly flushed. "I was stupid yesterday, I would appreciate it if you told no one about what happened or what I said."

He nodded. "You were grieving, Petra. It must have been hard to see..."

"Please. Let's leave it."

"You really did like him didn't you?"

Petra only pressed her lips together and nodded.

"It was all for you, you know." Petra looked at him, confused, but still crouched in front of him, fastening her torn cape. "I saw how much you adored him. When you were sixteen, you followed him around like a lovesick puppy. You would come into the dining hall and I would hear you talking to the other female soldiers. 'Oh Levi looked so handsome today, did you see how he looked at me?' The other girls always agreed, but they never were as determined as you were to get to him."

"It was sickening." Petra sneered, though her cheeks were red. "I was such a foolish child."

"I saw all of it," Auruo continued, "How you would skip defence classes just so you could follow him around. And when you were near him, you would do nothing but gawk. Even though he didn't notice you, I did. I fell in love with you as soon as I saw you on cadet recruitment day, right through to when we were in the same regiment. So, I cut my hair and started to wear a cravat. I wanted to be that heroic brave man you wanted."

"Auruo-" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

"I wished each night that you would notice me, follow me around just like you did to him, so I could ignore you and keep you wanting. But...but after some time I realised I didn't want that. I didn't want you to follow me around. I wanted you to be along side me, not behind. I just wanted you to love me."

Petra looked at him, her eyes glistening. He was looking down at his wound twisting a threat from the fabric around his finger.

"Auruo I-"

_**Thud.**_

"What was-"

_**Thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud...**_

Auruo saw it then. Her, to put it correctly. The female titan. She was heading straight for them. There was no doubt about it, as her eyes locked with his and she glared at them. She had known that not all of the Survey Corps had been killed. Somehow she knew and had been looking for them. And now she had found them. She was coming. Death was coming.

"Petra,"

"Auruo what is-"

"Petra just..just don't..," He grabbed her head with either hand before she could turn. "Petra just don't look behind you. Keep...keep looking at me." He tried to remain calm for her, but his own hands had started to tremble and his eyes began to fill with tears. "Petra just keep looking at me...o-okay?" His hands covered her ears as the thuds grew louder. But he didn't look up to see her running, just looking down at Petra, concentrating on her amber eyes, which were now too filled with tears. He felt them run onto his hands but he still kept them firm against her ears.

"Keep looking at me."

_**Thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud...**_

"Keep looking at me."

_**Thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud...**_

"Keep-"

_Oh the joy, I will see my love _

_Oh the joy, I will see my love _

_Make it quick, please don't wait _

_Let me in through heaven's gates_

_Oh the joy, I will see my love._


End file.
